1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoe protectors, and more particularly, to spats or gaiters for protecting sports shoes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gaiters were at one time very popular for protecting a person's shoes against dust and dirt before it was customary to cover streets and sidewalks with asphalt and concrete. Waterproof gaiters were also designed to protect shoes or boots against rain and mud. When designing waterproof gaiters, it was recognized that the lower portion of the gaiter should be maintained as close as possible against the sole and heel of the shoe in order to prevent water and mud from entering below the apron formed by the gaiter. U.S. Pat. No. 2,099,476, Nov. 16, 1937, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,151,350Mar. 21, 1939, both issued to M. Glowka for a waterproof spat, illustrate attempts to secure the lower edge of the spat to the sole and heel. Other such attempts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,235,490, issued Mar. 18, 1941 to S. Saksa, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,147, issued Nov. 11, 1969 to W. Bauer. The spats of the Glowka patents utilize tabs or hooks attached to the lower edge of the spat while the Bauer and Saksa patents describe an arrangement with zippers, having one element of the zipper fixed to the sole and/or heel.
Much development has been made in recent years with respect to sports shoes, such as jogging shoes. These shoes have evolved to the stage where the uppers, particularly on running shoes, are a very loose weave of large yarn in order to provide ample ventilation. Runners, on the other hand, run in any weather. Running gear has been developed for these climatic variations which includes complete foul weather suits. However, nothing has been developed for protecting the feet, particularly when wearing modern running shoes in foul weather.